LOS ANGELES — Riots broke out in Los Angeles over the weekend following U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on businesses suspected of hiring undocumented workers and falsifying employment documents, according to former L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
The unrest, which began Friday, escalated after protesters—part of what Villanueva described as a “rapid response network” of activists and union members—physically blocked ICE agents executing federal search warrants in the city’s garment district.
“There is a growing network of unions and activists trying to swarm ICE agents and prevent them from entering or leaving the target locations,” Villanueva said during an interview with California Insider. “That is obstruction of justice. It’s a crime.”
One high-profile arrest included David Huerta, head of a branch of the Service Employees International Union, who allegedly stood in front of an ICE transport van, shoved a federal officer, and was taken into custody on felony charges. He was later released on $50,000 bond.
Villanueva expressed frustration with local agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, for not coming to the aid of federal agents under attack.
“For decades, department policy required us to come to the aid of any peace officer in distress,” Villanueva said. “It doesn’t mean you endorse the operation, but it means you protect officers under attack. That didn’t happen here.”
The former sheriff also criticized city and county officials for allowing political ideology to influence law enforcement response.
“They were paralyzed by the thought of somehow supporting ICE agents, so they didn’t commit to doing anything,” Villanueva said. “It’s paralysis by analysis.”
Businesses in the downtown area suffered substantial losses, with at least six stores looted, including jewelry shops, a mobile phone retailer, and athletic apparel stores. Rioters also set multiple vehicles on fire, including taxis near freeway overpasses.
Protesters are breaking up concrete bridges, sidewalks, storm drains etc. to have concrete to throw at officers.
“These weren’t peaceful protesters,” Villanueva said. “When people show up wearing black, masks, and helmets, they’re not there to protest—they’re professional agitators.”
He warned that staffing shortages in local law enforcement are exacerbating the problem. Between the LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department, he said roughly 4,000 sworn positions remain vacant. Officers are now working double and triple shifts to respond to civil unrest.
“You can’t keep a human mind alert for 20-plus hours,” he said. “This is poor planning and poor leadership.”
Villanueva also called for the National Guard to have been activated early, noting that local officials had the authority to deploy troops under local control without federal involvement.
“They should have called in the first 500 National Guard troops on Friday at the first hint of trouble,” he said.
The former sheriff rejected claims that federal immigration enforcement has changed significantly, noting that presidents from both political parties have executed similar policies.
“What we’re seeing is political theater,” he said. “The media keeps calling them ‘peaceful protests,’ but look at the images on the ground. It’s not peaceful.”
Villanueva emphasized that ICE is targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds, including repeat deportees and felons convicted of violent crimes.
“They’re not going after abuelita dropping off the grandkids at school,” he said. “They’re going after people who’ve re-entered the country illegally after being deported for crimes like murder, rape, and robbery.”
He urged peaceful demonstrators to direct their efforts toward Congress.
“The solution is comprehensive immigration reform,” Villanueva said. “Every president has enforced the law differently, and the public gets whiplash. It’s time Congress stops kicking the can down the road.”
ICE and federal prosecutors have said they intend to continue enforcement efforts despite local resistance.
Villanueva warned that those interfering with federal operations are exposing themselves to serious legal consequences.
“If you assault a federal officer, you’re going to be prosecuted,” he said. “They’re willing, they’re able, and they have the law on their side.”
